Hughton made his name as an assistant at Tottenham and Newcastle in over a decade of service before being given a full-time coaching role with the Toon and then moving to Birmingham and Norwich.

As a player, he was a tough full-back and made over 50 appearances for the Republic of Ireland. A Tottenham youth product, the majority of his time was spent in North London and he also played for West Ham and Brentford before hanging up his boots in 1993.

He moved almost immediately into management and became coach of the Under-21 side at White Hart Lane, before goiing on to the reserve team and then the first team. Under ten different managers, he was given responsibilities on the training pitch and even took full control of the club twice when asked to perform the caretaker role.

However, when Martin Jol was sacked in 2007 Hughton was released as well and joined Newcastle to take up the job of first-team coach and then assistant manager. The crisis around St James' was eased by the presence of Hughton, who took control between the reigns of Kevin Keegan, Joe Kinnear and Alan Shearer, and his stabilising influence was kept on when the club was relegated at the end of 2008-09.

Given the job for the 2009-10 season, Hughton brought the club together and sealed their place back in the Premier League at the first attempt. But just three-and-a-half months into the 2010-11 campaign, and despite having overseen an away victory at Arsenal and a Tyne-Wear derby hammering of Sunderland, he was sacked on December 6.

In June 2011, Hughton took over at Championship club Birmingham City, who had been relegated from the Premier League on the final day of the 2010-11 campaign. He led them through the group stages of the Europa League (for which they had qualified by winning the Carling Cup), narrowly missing out on a place in the knockout rounds, and the play-offs.

Despite a stirring fightback at St Andrew's, the Blues lost 3-2 to Blackpool on aggregate in the play-offs and, soon after the end of the season, Hughton was linked with the Norwich job made available by Paul Lambert's move to Aston Villa. Birmingham gave him permission to speak to the Canaries, who announced his appointment on June 7, 2012.

Strengths: A great organiser and a manager who can get the best out of limited resources.

Weaknesses: Having worn the No. 2 shirt as a player, he has been criticised for being a good No. 2 off the pitch as well, not having the skills to take the lead role, so he still has a lot to prove.

Career high: Leading Newcastle to promotion to the Premier League in 2009-10, winning the Championship with over 100 points. Newcastle were unbeaten at home all season.

Career low: Was criticised for the way he handled the media in the aftermath of a training ground bust-up between Andy Carroll and Steven Taylor.

Tactics: Likes to play 4-4-2 with a big striker alongside one with a bit of pace. Width is important from the full-backs and there is plenty of passion demanded.

Quotes: ''People say Newcastle should go back up after they are relegated, but you still have to do it on the pitch. He has had the expectations of fans to win 23 home games and had 23 cup finals. It is not easy. So Chris, Colin Calderwood, Paul Barron and all of the staff deserve the utmost credit.'' Goalkeeper Steve Harper, June 2010.

Trivia: Hughton was the first black footballer to represent the Republic of Ireland at international level.